Mark Elliott writes: The short and simple answer if you want to run hills well is to spend a lot of time running up them – and the faster the better. However, there is always a limit to simple principles, and generally for the not so serious World Champion wannabes constantly running hills hard is a simple recipe for Achilles strains, calf tears or knee pain.

If you are serious about running hills strong then give yourself some variation on how you can get to the top. There always many trails to the top of a mountain! Running backwards is one variation on the theme – great for your hamstrings and calfs. Find a nice wide open grass hill that is not too steep and run up the rise backwards. Accentuate your heel lift and aim to keep you body posture tall. This is harder than it looks, and is a great way to activate a key lower limb muscles groups in a different pattern. Run backwards for around 30 metres then jog easy back down to the bottom of the slope and repeat.

One of the best variations on running hills is doing it sideways. The idea of running sideways is not about getting a different view on the way up. The concepts of sideways hill running is about working key muscle groups that assist the process if you are running up with standard form. You are predominately aiming to stimulate your lateral quad and gluteal muscles – such as gluteus medius by sideways running. Gluteus medius is a key stabiliser to your lower limbs when you land in stance phase during the running cycle. The concept of running sideways and driving off the trailing leg is ideal for activating the lateral stability muscles around your hip joint, encouraging good hip lift and promoting the concept of running tall and not leaning forward into the hill side too much. For sideways running the key concepts of good form needs to be taken into account. Like any technique based exercises if you are doing it wrong all you are doing is promoting activation of the wrong muscle groups. Try to treat any run technique session as you would swimming technique, extenuate the movement pattern and aim to go for form not speed or intensity. To ensure your get in the right form as seen in the photo focus on the following concepts:

1. Drive off the bottom leg, not lifting with the leading leg
2. Get your arm drive in rhythm with your leg action
3. Keep the pelvis parallel to the direction of travel, not twisted to the side. A side twist from your hips will only encourage you to use your quads and not the lateral muscle groups
4. Run tall with the hips forward and your head up

Carry out a hill running session on a relatively steep incline (not a cliff face though) preferably on a grass or smooth trail surface. Aim to work up a length of hill of about 40 – 60 meters in length. Carry out any technique session working up the hill facing both ways to ensure you are driving off both legs. Repeat any sideways session 3 – 5 times on each side with 2 – 3 repetitions running backwards. Recovery between reps is simply an easy jog back down the hill with a relaxed arm carriage.

If you have a hill session planned add these two simple techniques at the start of the session to get those key lateral muscle groups firing. Carrying out sideways hill work may not see you take a World mountain running title away from a kiwi, but it will ensure you are making the most of the muscles you have to get you to the top of any hill faster.